Process of plating metals.



W. E. WATKlNS.

PROCESS OF PLATING METALS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-21. 1913.

1,197,693. PatentzdSeptk 12,1916.

% l N FL UNIT D STATES PATENT our-ion WILLIAM E. WATKINS, or NEW YORK, N.Y'., ASSIGNOR To THE 7 COMPANY, A coRPonATIoN on NEW JERSEY.

rnocuss or PnATING METALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Application filed August 21, 1913. Serial N 0. 785,947.

hattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Plating Metals, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to plating a body of one metal, such for example, as steel, with an even deposit or layer of another metal, such for example as copper.

More specifically my invention comprises a process in which a 'compound of the plating metal, such as oxid of copper, is so applied to a sheet or other body of metal to be plated, such as steel, as to insure an even layer containing exactly the right quantity of copper for the formation of a uniform, coherent plating of copper on said steel.

Briefly stated my improved process, inits preferred form, consists in grinding a compound of the plating metal, such as oxid of copper, to great fineness in a heavy oil or other suitable liquid vehicle so as to form a suspension or paste; then applying said sus pension or paste to the face of the metal to be plated, such as a sheet of steel, in the form of a coating, by means of pressure rolls and finally sub ecting such coated sheet to heat sufficient in degree and duration to produce thereon atou'gh, coherent and uniform plat-' ing of copper. Any oxid formed upon the copper plating may easily be removed in a suitable manner, as, for instance, by a proper solvent, such as sulfuric acid.

A convenient form of apparatus for use in practising my invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure l is a diagrammatic view in' side elevation and partial section, with parts broken away, and Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line2, 2, of Fig. 1, with parts broken away.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

1 is the main frame or housing in which are journaled a pair of rolls 2, 2, which may be forced together with any desired pressure by turning screws 3, which bear on the ournal boxes 4, of the upper roll. Near each roll is located a reservoir 5, 5, for holding a supply of the suspension or paste to be applied to said roll by any convenient mechanism, such as the doctor rolls 6, 6, and inplated are fed to the rolls.

termediate r5118, 7, 7. These rolls 6, and 7', may be ad ustedftoward and from each other and the rolls 2, 2, by means of horizontally- On the right hand, or Intake sldeof the rolls 2, 2, is a feeding extending screws 8, 8.

table 18, along which sheets of metal to be On the delivery side of the rolls 2, 2,..is the link belt carrier 9, runn1ng over sprocket wheels 10, 10, each' link 11, of the belt 9, being provided with one or more upwardly extending, sharp- ETALs PLATING pointed projections 12, which will support the coated sheet Without covering up more of the surface of the coating layer than is absolutely necessary. This endless belt conveyer 9, passes through the openings 13, 13, in thesides of furnace 14, which is simply'a box of refractory material heated internally by 011 burners conventionallyrepresented at 15, 15, or by other means for producing a heated zone of the desired temperature,

which should be suflicient to reduce the com pound of the plating metal to metal and to unite it firmly with the metal to be plated."

Where the compound employedis .CuO, for

example, the temperature should approxi-.

mate thejmelting point of copper.

16, represents a sheet of steel about to be.

fed to coating rolls 2, 2, and 17, represents a coated sheet about to enter the furnace.

"When the above described apparatus is operating to carry out my improved process,

the reservoirs 5, 5, are filled with a paste or suspension formed by grinding finely the oxid of copper, or other suitable compound of the plating metal, in a vehicle of the defrequently too viscous, so that its admixture :with native fuel oil is desirable to suitably lower its viscosity. The rolls 2, 2, are rotated by any suitable power transmission apparatus- (not shown) so as to feed from right to left (looking at Fig. 1). The doctor rolls 6, and intermediate rolls 7, maybe so adjustedas to apply by contact any desired thickness of coating of the suspenslon to rolls 2, 2. When a. sheetof steel 16, is fed to and through the rolls, the pressure of the rolls transfers an even, dense, compact, layer-of the suspension to both surfaces of the sheet. The coated sheet emerges from the rolls onto the-endless link belt carrier 9, and is'carried toand'through furnace 14,

the endless belt conveyer being driven by power applied to the shaft of the left hand. sprocket wheel 10, in any convenient manner (not shown).

While I have described the process as carried out when employing a body of iron and a Coating of copper oxid to form a copper plating thereon, it may of course be applied to other metal bodies, and other oxids or compounds than those of copper may be used, and while I preferably use a mixture of Mexican crude oil and native oil in which to grind the compound of the metal to be used, because of its suitable viscosity,

spreading qualities,reducing character, and

' cheapness, any liquid may be used which is equivalent thereto under the conditions existing during the plating operation. It is desirable that the oil or other llquid vehicle should be .such as to form with the being automatic.

Having described .my. invention, what I claim 1s:

another 1. The process of plating one metal with another, which comprises the following steps forminga metal-plating suspension; rolling said suspension in an even coating layernpon the metal to be plated; and sub-- jecting the metal to be plated, together'with the coating thereon, to heat, the quantity of said coating and the intensity and duration ofthe heat being suflicient to form a layer of the plating metal adherent to the metal to be plated.

2. The processof plating one metal with which comprises the following steps: orming a metal-plating. suspension consisting of a reducible compound of the plating metal in a suitable reducing vehicle; applying said suspension man even coating to the metal to be plated; and subjecting the metal to be plated, together with the coating thereon, toheat, the quantity of said coating and the intensity and duration of the heat being sufficient to form a layer of the platingmetal adherent to the metal to be plated.

3. The process of plating one metal with another, which comprises the following steps forming a. metal-plating suspension by grinding a reducible compound of the I plating metal in a reducing vehicle having an as'phaltic base; applying said suspension inj an even coating to the metal to be plated; and subjecting the/metal to be plated, to gether with the coating thereon, to heat, the quantity of said coating and the intenslty and duration of the heatbeing sufficient to form a layer of the plating metal adherent to the metal to be plated.

4. The process of plating one metal with another, which comprises applying to the metal to be plated, a coating of substantially "uniform thickness of a paste comprising a suflicient quantity of a finely-divided compound of the plating metal mixed with a reducing liquid vehicle, and subjecting the metal and coating to a degree of heat sulficient to reduce the compo-und'of the plating metal to metal and unite it as a plating firmly to the metal to be plated.

5. The process of plating one metal with another which comprises applying to the metal to be plated, a coating of substantially uniform thickness comprising a sufiicient quantity of a viscous homogeneous suspension of a compound of the plating metal in a reducing vehicle, and subjecting the metal and coating to a degree of heat sufiicient to reduce the compound of-the plating metal to metal and unite it as a plating firmly to the metal'to be plated.

- 6. The process of platlng iron sheets with copper, which comprises applying to the surface of the iron sheet a. coating of substantially uniform thickness comprising a suflicient quantity of a viscous homogeneous suspension of a reducible copper compound in a reducing liquid vehicle, and subjecting the metal and coating to a degree ofheat sufficient'to reduce the copper compound to copper and unite it firmly as a plating to the iron.-

-7. The process ofplating iron sheets with copper, which comprises applying to the surface of the iron sheet a coating of substantially uniform thickness comprising a vsuflicient quantity of a viscous homogeneous YSHSPGIISIOII of copper oxld in a reduclng liquid vehicle, and subjecting the metal and coating to a degree of heat suflicient to reduce the copper oXid to copper and unite it firmly as a plating to the iron.

8. The step in the process of plating one metal with another which comprises the application of a suspension compound of the plating metal to the surface of the metal to be plated by means of roll pressure.

9. The step in the process of plating one metal with another which comprises the application to the surface of the metal to be plated of a compacted coating of even thickness of a homogeneous suspension of a compound of the plating metal and a viscous fluid vehicle.

10. The process of which comprises the forming mg em on both sides of the metal to be coatings thereon; said a metal suspensio plating suspension rolln 1n an even the sheet; plated, together with the to heat, th coating and the intensity and duration of the heat being suflicient to the plating metal adherent opposite sides of the sheet to be plated. 1

1 1. The process of lating iron sheets which comprises the f0 applying on both sides plating metal sheets,

following I steps:

coating layer and subj ectmg 2o e quantity of form layers of respectively to owing steps: first,- of the iron sheet a 

